Memories
by Th3WitchingHour
Summary: Cloud stands at a grave and remembers the man who changed his life. Post AC. No Yaoi implications. Drabblish. Read and Review! please!


**A/N: **just a short thing i wrote when i was playing crisis core. i still can't bring myself to finish it because, dammit, i just can't kill zack. i _love _him (and so does cloud, lol). but seriously, i don't usually write things like this. i really wanted to bring zack back somehow, but alas, it was not meant to be. so this is a fairly somber drabble or whatever the hell it is. i don't love it, but...i'm pleased.

**Plot: **Cloud stands at a grave and remembers the man who changed his life. Post AC. No Yaoi implications. Drabble. Read and Review!! (please?).

**Disclaimer: **Zack died, so of course I don't own it.

...

Cloud Strife stood at the edge of the cliff, staring blindly out at the sunset.

Seven years had passed and he still didn't know why he continued to come up here. Perhaps it was guilt? Or maybe it was just his way of preserving a memory…

Still, every few days, Cloud would be riding his motorcycle through the desert only to find himself at the edge of this precipice, staring at the painfully familiar view of Midgar.

Turning his head away from the colorful sky, Cloud's gaze rested on the weather-worn Buster sword sticking possessively out of the ground. Time had eaten away at the once extraordinary and deadly weapon: parts of the blade were chipped and broken, the hilt had rusted and almost fallen away, even the handle was worn and covered in a thin layer of dirt.

And sometimes, Cloud thought he could still see the blood.

Cloud scowled at the memories he'd once fought so hard to remember. Scowled at the memory of a man who'd left a gaping hole in his life for the past seven years.

At times, Cloud wished he'd forgotten all about the man who had once been a source of encouragement and renewed his faith in humanity. Yes, it had been so much easier to just forget him and take his memories as his own.

But that wasn't really fair to _him_, was it?

Cloud hadn't realized at the time, but the man whose bones lay below this bit of earth and dust had been Cloud's first real friend. The first person who actually believed Cloud could _be _someone. Even after he'd failed the SOLDIER exams, his friend had only smiled, imploring the blond not to give up, saying plenty of people fail their first try, and that he was still pretty young.

Of course, that's easy to say when you're only eighteen and have already been promoted to First Class.

Cloud sighed as he felt the familiar jealousy well up in the pit of his stomach. It was hard always being in the man's shadow, but even Cloud had to admit his friend was more than modest. He'd never shoved his superiority in Cloud's face, even when he agreed to help him train for the SOLDIER exams next term. No, Cloud's jealousy turned to guilt more often than not, because behind the First Class SOLDIER's strength and ability there was a normal, happy-go-lucky, everyone-has-the-potential-to-be-in-my-place kind of guy.

A long time had passed, but Cloud could still see the man as if he stood before him now, with that crazy grin and casual attitude, his long black hair spiked back, leaving only a few strands to fall forward into a gentle face.

Cloud shook his head and tore his gaze away from the decaying bit of metal that had once represented strength and honor, and instead noticed a small patch of flowers growing at the sword's base. Frowning slightly, Cloud crouched down beside them and gently ran his leather-

clad fingers over a delicate pedal. He vaguely wondered why he never noticed them before and glanced around, seeing only rocks and dirt.

Turning back to examine the flowers more closely, Cloud couldn't stop the small smile that slid onto on his usually stoic face. He'd recognized these flowers; he'd seen them every day in an abandoned church, feeding desperately on the sun and rain that seeped in through a collapsed ceiling.

Straightening, Cloud looked down and the sight. For the first time in years he felt pressure in his throat as his eyes misted.

Reaching forward, Cloud let his fingers brush lightly across the handle of the sword he himself once wielded before letting his arm fall back to his side, muttering the words that threatened break him.

"Goodnight…Zack."

With effort, Cloud turned away and walked back towards Fenrir, swearing he could hear Zack's cheerful laughter as Cloud climbed onto his bike and sped away, never looking back.

...

**A/N:** kinda cheesy, right? i don't know what compelled me to bring in the flowers but i did (i think it was just cus the story needed somethign there, u kno?). so whatever. i think it's pretty cute even if there's no yaoi or happy ending.

ok guys, this is the part where u review, writing style/ability/content/whatever. PLEASE??


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